Ghana Link Network Services Ltd, operators of the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), has taken note of recent claims made by some unknown groups calling themselves Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) alleging that the ICUMS platform is dysfunctional and causing disruptions in port and customs operations.
It said those allegations as baseless, misleading and unsupported by any verifiable evidence.
A statement issued by Ghana Link and copied to The Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday, said the claims were not only false, but appear to be part of a deliberate attempt to cast doubt on a national trade facilitation platform that continues to serve importers, exporters, freight forwarders, shipping lines, customs house agents, terminal operators and other key stakeholders across the country.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the groups making these allegations have failed to point to a single verified instance of system-wide downtime on the ICUMS platform since January 2026. Indeed, they are unable to identify any such downtime even going back to the period after Ghana Link completed its new data centre infrastructure,” the statement said.
Ghana Link said “the statement of the CSOs’’ sweeping claims about “frequent downtimes” but provides no dates, no incident references, no affected transactions, no technical evidence, and no confirmation from the relevant state institutions or port stakeholders.”
The statement said “The facts speak for themselves. Since the completion of Ghana Link’s new data centre, the ICUMS platform has recorded improved system stability, stronger infrastructure resilience and enhanced service delivery. The platform continues to process customs transactions and support revenue mobilisation for the state without the alleged disruptions being claimed by these groups.’’
Ghana Link said it finds it unfortunate that persons who claim to be interested in port reform would resort to broad and unsubstantiated accusations instead of engaging the relevant institutions with evidence.
It said serious national conversations about trade facilitation must be grounded in facts, not propaganda, conjecture or politically motivated narratives.
“We wish to place on record that ICUMS remains one of Ghana’s most important digital trade infrastructure platforms, supporting customs administration, revenue protection, cargo clearance, risk management and trade facilitation. Any claim that the system is dysfunctional must therefore be backed by clear evidence, not empty allegations designed to mislead the public,” the statement said.
It said Ghana Link remained open to constructive engagement with all stakeholders, including legitimate civil society organisations, the trading public, freight forwarders, customs officials, shipping lines and policymakers.
However, Ghana Link said it would not allow unfounded claims to undermine public confidence in a system that continues to deliver critical support to Ghana’s trade and revenue ecosystem.
“We therefore challenge the groups behind these allegations to provide specific evidence of any system-wide downtime they claim has occurred since January 2026 or in the last month, or at any time after the completion of the new data centre. In the absence of such evidence, their claims must be treated for what they are: false, baseless and without merit,” the statement said.
It said Ghana Link remains committed to continuous improvement, stakeholder engagement, operational transparency and the delivery of a secure, efficient and reliable customs management platform in support of Ghana’s trade facilitation and revenue mobilisation agenda.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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